[New] Tragic Lessons Learned in Fighting In & Around Vehicles

This case study covers the harrowing events that took place in March 1988 when two British corporals were ambushed by a mob while in their vehicles and beaten and brutally killed by the IRA in Northern Ireland.

FIGHTING IN & AROUND VEHICLES

The tragic and infamous incident that lead to the soldiers’ deaths at the hands of an enraged mob become known as the “corporal killings.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Corporals_killings

If you haven’t heard of the incident I am talking about, then brace yourself for what you will read.

Training In Ways That Matter

Despite the horrific nature of the events, the purpose of this article is to debunk the view of the "...you must do this...you must never do that...just avoid the area..." flagpole that so many training providers pin their colors to. This article will try and explain why that kind of advice might not always work in order to encourage people to get their head out their ass and start delivering training that addresses real-life incidents and not some version of what they "think" happens in these situations.

And even more recently to this incident, there has been an influx of posts and articles questioning the need for or the application of, fighting in, around or from vehicles. Some have been well written and constructive - most have been written with an elementary Sesame Street approach to that situation with absolutely no concept of the realities of such an incident. One person even stated that this type of situation never happens - I hope he's reading this.

Some Caveats

So, before I start dissecting this properly, it is important for me to add context to this incident: 1. They should NOT have been there. Someone fucked up. 2. They were not UKSF/Undercover soldiers. 3. They weren't trained to deal with this situation. 4. One of them had a "stove-pipe" and couldn't/didn't know how to, clear it quickly. 5. The funeral cortege were on high alert of "attack", due to two other incidents that were the catalyst for this one happening and that are important to factor in, in order to understand how quickly a situationally aware, suspicious and violent mob, can turn on you: • 06 March 1988 - OP FLAVIOUS (UKSF kill three PIRA terrorists in Gibraltar) • 16 Mar 1988 - A UDA terrorist attacked the funeral of the three PIRA terrorists killed in Gibraltar, during OP FLAVIOUS.

However tragic and avoidable, the fact remains that they "were" there, and, from a training perspective ONLY, there is little to be gained from lamenting about that cock-up or whose cock-up it was. Whether they should've been there or not, doesn't alter the fact that sometimes, shit just happens - it's either your fault, someone else's fault or it's just bad luck. However, regardless of this, you still need to have "options" of responsewho or what's to blame can be discussed/argued/dissected later - getting out of the shit that you've found yourself in, is what matters.

Dissecting The Deadly Scenario For Lessons

So, let’s assess the available options:

Driving Through They physically couldn't - so that's that idea is pretty useless.

Reverse Out They tried unsuccessfully and were immediately blocked in by other vehicles. (Having had so many people speak to me about this incident over the years, many have opined that, had they been trained properly (in defensive driving), they might have been able to chuck in a J-turn. This MIGHT be true ,but having seen the full, unedited video of this incident, I doubt they would have gotten very far, even with a successful J-turn.

So... you can't drive through, and you can't reverse out - now what? According to some people, if neither of those options work, then you've somehow done something wrong - who cares? You still need to get out of it.

One of the most staggering, surprising and influential aspects of this incident, was how quickly the crowd surrounded their vehicle - forget about having that Condor cigar moment, where you have the luxury of making a decisiontime is NOT your friend and any